History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ by Daniel Berger

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History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ

by Daniel Berger

CHAPTER XX

THE CHURCH COMMISSION

I. PRELIMINARY.

^p.360 In the month of November, 1885, was held an assembly which will long be remembered as possessing a deep historic interest. It was the meeting of the Church Commission appointed by the General Conference in May preceding. Agreeably to the instructions of the conference the bishops had named the 17th of November as the day for the assembling of the Commission, and the First United Brethren Church, in the city of Dayton, Ohio, as the place of meeting. In accordance with the announcement of the bishops twenty-five of the twenty-seven members, as chosen by the General Conference, assembled on the day and in the place named. The two members absent were Bishop J. Dickson and Bishop M. Wright. From Bishop Dickson a letter was received explaining the reasons for his absence. From Bishop Wright no message was received. The names of the other commissioners are found in the preceding chapter.

At the hour of nine in the morning Bishop Weaver, the senior bishop, called the Commission to order. The session was opened with appropriate religious service, Bishop Weaver reading the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, and Dr. Garst, of Otterbein University, and Bishop Castle leading in prayer. Bishop Weaver then followed with a brief and impressive address, reminding ^p.361 the members of the extreme importance and delicacy of the duty that was entrusted to them, urging them to seek fervently the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to abide in much patience and love in considering each other's views as they might find expression through the series of days during which they might be together. It was arranged that the bishops preside in the order of their seniority, as is customary in the General Conferences. Rev. Lewis Bookwalter was chosen as secretary, and the Commission was duly organized for business.

The act of the General Conference creating the Commission and defining its powers and duties was then read, after which a number of motions were adopted to govern the order of proceeding. A proposition to sit with closed doors did not meet with favor. It was not deemed desirable that the general public should be invited, but that all interested persons should have free entrance whenever they wished to attend. A similar proposition with respect to reporters for the press was not supported. It was suggested that press representatives would exercise due courtesy.

A number of committees were appointed, the most important of which were:

1. On Confession of Faith: J. J. Glossbrenner, H. Garst, N. Castle, G. A. Funkhouser, J. W. Hott, W. M. Beardshear, M. Wright, J. R. Evans, P. C. Hetzler.

2. On Constitution: I. K. Statton, E. B. Kephart, W. J. Shuey, J. A. Shauck, L. Bookwalter, J. H. Snyder, I. L. Kephart, A. M. Beal, J. Weaver.

3. On Plan of Submission to the Church: J. S. Mills, J. Dickson, D. L. Rike, G. Miller, H. A. Snepp, S. D. Kemp, J. B. King, J. Hill, L. W. Craumer.

The two vacancies occasioned by absence were not supplied ^p.362 hus organized, the Commission proceeded to the responsible business before it. The sessions were continued through six days. Ample time was given to the several committees to consider the parts of the work allotted to them, and the sessions were characterized by much earnest attention and a deep sense of the responsibility involved. Every feature of the several reports as returned by the respective committees was considered in the open session with the utmost scrutiny, so that in every particular the best possible results might be reached.

It is not necessary to trace here each successive step taken in these deeply important proceedings, which are preserved in the journal of the Commission. The general reader is most interested in seeing the results which were reached. These, so far as they relate to the Confession of Faith and the Constitution, are the same as now embodied in the Book of Discipline. The following is the Confession of Faith in its revised form :

II. THE REVISED CONFESSION OF FAITH.

In the name of God, we declare and confess before all men the following articles of our belief:

ARTICLE I.

Of God and the Holy Trinity.

We believe in the only true God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; that these three are one—the Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, and the Holy Ghost equal in essence or being with the Father and the Son.

ARTICLE II.

Of Creation and Providence.

We believe that this triune God created the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, visible and invisible; that he sustains, protects, and governs these, with gracious regard for the welfare of man, to the glory of his name.

^p.363 ARTICLE III.

Of Jesus Christ.

We believe in Jesus Christ; that he is very God and man; that he became incarnate by the power of the Holy Ghost and was born of the Virgin Mary; that he is the Saviour and Mediator of the whole human race, if they with full faith accept the grace proffered in Jesus; that this Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, to intercede for us; and that he will come again at the last day to judge the living and the dead.

ARTICLE IV.

Of the Holy Ghost.

We believe in the Holy Ghost; that he is equal in being with the Father and the Son; that he convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that he comforts the faithful and guides them into all truth.

ARTICLE V.

Of the Holy Scriptures.

We believe that the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the word of God ; that it reveals the only true way to our salvation ; that every true Christian is bound to acknowledge and receive it by the help of the Spirit of God as the only rule and guide in faith and practice.

ARTICLE VI.

Of the Church.

We believe in a holy Christian church, composed of true believers, in which the word of God is preached by men divinely called, and the ordinances are duly administered; that this divine institution is for the maintenance of worship, for the edification of believers, and the conversion of the world to Christ.

ARTICLE VII.

Of the Sacraments.

We believe that the sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, are to be used in the Church, and should be practiced by all Christians; but the mode of baptism and the manner of observing the Lord's Supper are always to be left to the judgment and understanding of each individual. Also, the baptism of children shall be left to the judgment of believing parents.

The example of the washing of feet is to be left to the judgment of each one, to practice or not.

^p.364 ARTICLE VIII.

Of Depravity.

We believe that man is fallen from original righteousness, and apart from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is not only entirely destitute of holiness, but is inclined to evil, and only evil, and that continually; and that except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

ARTICLE IX.

Of Justification.

We believe that penitent sinners are justified before God, only by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by works; yet that good works in Christ are acceptable to God, and spring out of a true and living faith.

article x.

Of Regeneration and Adoption.

We believe that regeneration is the renewal of the heart of man after the image of God, through the word, by the act of the Holy Ghost, by which the believer receives the spirit of adoption and is enabled to serve God with the will and the affections.

ARTICLE XI.

Of Sanctification.

We believe that sanctification is the work of God's grace, through the word and the Spirit, by which those who have been born again are separated in their acts, words, and thoughts from sin, and are enabled to live unto God, and to follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

ARTICLE XII.

Of the Christian Sabbath.

We believe that the Christian Sabbath is divinely appointed; that it is commemorative of our Lord's resurrection from the grave, and is an emblem of our eternal rest; that it is essential to the welfare of the civil community, and to the permanence and growth of the Christian church, and that it should be reverently observed as a day of holy rest and of social and public worship.

ARTICLE XIII.

Of the Future State.

We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the future general judgment; and an eternal state of rewards, in which the righteous dwell in endless life, and the wicked in endless punishment.

^p.365 III. THE AMENDED CONSTITUTION.

The following is the Constitution as amended by the Commission:

In the name of God, we, the members of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, for the more speedy and effectual spread of the gospel, and in order to produce and secure uniformity in faith and practice, to define the powers and business of the General Conference as recognized by this Church, and to preserve inviolate the popular will of the membership of the Church, do ordain this Constitution:

article I.

Section 1. All ecclesiastical power herein granted, to enact or repeal any rule or rules of discipline, is vested in a General Conference, which shall consist of elders and laymen elected in each annual-conference district throughout the Church. The number and ratio of elders and laymen, and the mode of their election, shall be determined by the General Conference.

Provided, however, that such elders shall have stood as elders in the conferences which they are to represent for no less time than three years next preceding the meeting of the General Conference to which they are elected; and that such laymen shall be not less than twenty-five years of age, and shall have been members of the Church six years, and members in the conference districts which they are to represent at least three years next preceding the meeting of the General Conference to which they are elected.

Sec. 2. The General Conference shall convene every four years, and a majority of the whole number of delegates elected shall constitute a quorum.

Sec. 3. The ministerial and lay delegates shall deliberate and vote together as one body; but the General Conference shall have power to provide for a vote by separate orders whenever it deems it best to do so; and in such cases the concurrent vote of both orders shall be necessary to complete an action.

Sec. 4. The General Conference shall, at each session, elect bishops from among the elders throughout the Church who have stood six years in that capacity.

Sec. 5. The bishops shall be members ex officio and presiding officers of the General Conference; but in case no bishop be present, the conference shall choose a president pro tempore.

Sec. 6. The General Conference shall determine the number and boundaries of the annual conferences.

^p.366 Sec. 7. The General Conference shall have power to review the records of the annual conferences and see that the business of each annual conference is done strictly in accordance with the Discipline, and approve or annul, as the case may require.

Sec. 8. The General Conference shall have full control of The United Brethren Printing Establishment, The Home, Frontier, and Foreign Missionary Society, The Church-Erection Society, The General Sabbath-School Board, The Board of Education, and Union Biblical Seminary. It shall also have power to establish and manage any other organization or institution within the Church which it may deem helpful in the work of evangelization.

Sec. 9. The General Conference shall have power to establish a court of appeals.

Sec. 10. The General Conference may—two-thirds of the members elected thereto concurring—propose changes in, or additions to, the Confession of Faith; provided, that the concurrence of three-fourths of the annual conferences shall be necessary to their final ratification.

article ii.

The General Conference shall have power, as provided in Article I., Section 1, of this Constitution, to make rules and regulations for the Church; nevertheless, it shall be subject to the following limitations and restrictions:

Section 1. The General Conference shall enact no rule or ordinance which will change or destroy the Confession of Faith; and shall establish no standard of doctrine contrary to the Confession of Faith.

Sec. 2. The General Conference shall enact no rule which will destroy the itinerant plan.

Sec. 3. The General Conference shall enact no rule which will deprive local preachers of their votes in the annual conferences to which they severally belong.

Sec. 4. The General Conference shall enact no rule which will abolish the right of appeal.

article III.

Section 1. We declare that all secret combinations which infringe upon the rights of those outside their organization, and whose principles and practices are injurious to the Christian character of their members, are contrary to the Word of God, and that Christians ought to have no connection with them.

The General Conference shall have power to enact such rules of Discipline with respect to such combinations as in its judgment it may deem proper.

^p.367 Sec. 2. We declare that human slavery is a violation of human rights, and contrary to the Word of God. It shall therefore in no wise be tolerated among us.

ARTICLE IV.

The right, title, interest, and claim of all property, both real and personal, of whatever name or description, obtained by purchase or otherwise, by any person or persons, for the use, benefit, and behoof of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, are hereby fully recognized, and held to vest in the Church aforesaid.

article V.

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any General Conference,—two-thirds of the members elected thereto concurring,—which amendments shall be submitted to a vote of the membership throughout the Church, under regulations authorized by said conference.

A majority of all the votes cast upon any submitted amendment shall be necessary to its final ratification.

Sec. 2. The foregoing amended Constitution shall be in force from and after the first Monday after the second Thursday of May, 1889, upon official proclamation thereof by the Board of Bishops; provided, that the General Conference elected for 1889 shall be the lawful legislative body under the amended Constitution, with full power, until its final adjournment, to enact such rules as this amended Constitution authorizes.

IV. THE PLAN OF SUBMISSION.

It was apparent from the first that the manner of submitting the revised Confession of Faith and the amended Constitution to the people of the Church for approval or rejection would be questions of the most serious import. Several things were necessary to be provided for. Among these was, first, that the amendments submitted should be brought as widely as possible to the attention of the Church, in order to secure the largest vote possible. Second, it was necessary that the method of taking the vote should be so clearly defined as to provide against liability to mistakes in the balloting. And, third, it was of the highest importance that every provision be ^p.368 clearly stated according to constitutional and legal forms, so that no irregularity might lead to the invalidation of the results. The whole subject was given the most careful attention by the committee who had this part of the duties of the Commission in charge, and the report as made by them, and after further consideration adopted, was so well devised in all its details that in all the searching scrutiny which followed subsequently in the civil courts nothing could be discovered that tended in any way to weaken the verdict rendered by the people in their vote approving the amendments.

The time for taking the vote was fixed for the entire month of November, 1888, thus giving, from the time of the sitting of the Commission, nearly three years for the consideration and discussion of the proposed amendments. Every means was employed, by publication in the Religious Telescope and the Fröhliche Botschafter, and in pamphlets and circulars, to inform the people concerning the nature of the proposed amendments, and every phase was submitted to the freest and amplest discussion, not only in the periodicals, but also in the annual conferences and elsewhere.

Provision was made for a separate vote on the Confession of Faith and the Constitution, so that each person might vote for one only, or for both, or against both. Provision, however, was also made for a separate vote on each of the two most important sections of the Constitution, that on lay delegation, and that relating to secret combinations, thus securing thorough flexibility in the arrangements and the fullest freedom for the expression of every individual preference.

The form of ballot used in taking the vote was as follows:

^p.369 1888.

United Brethren in Christ.

ballot

On amendments to the Confession of Faith and Constitution. Members wishing to vote NO on either proposition must erase the word YES and insert NO.

Confession of Faith.................................................................YES.

Amended Constitution...........................................................YES.

Lay Delegation........................................................................YES.

Section on Secret Combinations...............................................YES.

Very complete provision was made for boards of tellers, local, conference, and general. The local boards consisted of the pastor, leaders, and stewards of each society. The conference boards of tellers were to be appointed by the annual conferences respectively, each at its session next preceding the month of November, 1888. The General Board of Tellers was appointed by the Commission itself, and consisted of J. Weaver, G. A. Funkhouser, L. Bookwalter, D. L. Rike, W. J. Shuey, J. A. Shauck, and H. Garst. All reports from the conference boards of tellers were required to be forwarded to the General Board of Tellers, at Dayton, Ohio, on or before January 1, 1889, and the General Board was required to make its report to the Board of Bishops not later than January 15, 1889.

V. OPPOSITION TO THE REVISION.

The reader has seen that the action of the General Conference in creating the Church Commission met, during the session of that body, with strong opposition. This opposition did not by any means cease after the conference adjourned. On the other hand, every available agency was now employed to create throughout the Church a sentiment adverse to the step taken by the General Conference. Among these agencies was the publication of a weekly paper, the Christian Conservator, whose mission was ^p.370 largely, if not chiefly, to oppose the revision contemplated. The subject was also freely discussed in all its aspects through the columns of the Religious Telescope, both for and against. In the sessions of the annual conferences and elsewhere it was brought up for debate and action. This busy opposition, which began at once after the adjournment of the General Conference, became greatly intensified after the Commission had held its meeting, as directed by the General Conference, and published the results of its work to the Church. The Confession of Faith and the Constitution as revised and amended were subjected to the closest scrutiny from every standpoint, and every conceivable form of opposition to them was set up. As far as every agency could be brought to reach the people throughout the Church, it was sought to influence their minds against the amended instruments, so as to bring about their failure by the popular vote. The amendments were characterized as revolutionary, as outrages, as involving a breach of faith, and the whole proceeding was declared unconstitutional and violent; and it was sought to persuade the people that if they were adopted the Church would no longer be the same Church, but would be a new and different body. This opposition was continued in its full activity until after the people had spoken through the ballot box, almost three years after the Commission had concluded its work.

Notwithstanding this opposition and the long-sustained effort to affect unfavorably the mind of the Church toward the amended Constitution and Confession, when the vote was counted, the results, as will be seen a little farther on, were found to be overwhelmingly in favor of adoption. The vote was taken in connection with that for delegates to the General Conference of May, 1889, at which the number of ballots cast was the largest in the ^p.371 history of the Church. The vote was a most emphatic as well as conclusive expression of the will of the people in regard to each particular of the amended forms of these fundamental instruments as they came from the hands of the Commission.



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